“Do you feel like something’s not right?” Jane asked, though she wasn’t sure why she suddenly thought of this. She must have had her own plan in mind.
“Don’t you think it’s too coincidental that everything is happening to Maria?” Jane spoke softly. At first, she didn’t connect these events to Florence because Florence only disliked her and there was no need to go after someone who had nothing to do with her.
But now, Jane remembered the past and couldn’t help but be suspicious.
Earlier, Jane kept thinking about whether Maria had any enemies. It seemed that only one person was left – Waylen.
Waylen’s goal had always been Maria, but now that Jane thought about the kidnapping incident involving Maria, she didn’t believe Waylen could have accomplished it solely on his own abilities, or even come close to it.
A playboy second-generation rich kid who spent his days indulging in food, drink, and entertainment wouldn’t have the mindset to develop such a meticulous plan.
It was not that Jane was overthinking, but she seemed to have sensed something.
Because Maria was currently the highly promoted talent of Star Entertainment, her well-being can significantly impact the company. If anything were to happen to her, Star Entertainment would be the first to be affected.
Upon closer inspection, since Jane arrived in Alodon, the only person who had had considerable friction with her was Florence.
Similarly, Patrick also thought of this point upon hearing Jane’s words, “You think someone is targeting you through Maria?”
Jane sighed and said, “I just hope I’m being overly suspicious.”
She still held on to the idea that these were all conflicts and marketing strategies within the entertainment industry. However, regardless of the situation, these matters had crossed Jane’s bottom line, and she intended to investigate the person behind it no matter what.
On the other side, Maria sat in the car as her agent personally accompanied her back to her place of residence.
Throughout the journey, the agent wanted to find an opportunity to comfort Maria, but seeing her serious expression, she ultimately remained silent.
Just then, the alarm set on the agent’s phone went off. It was set a few days ago when Maria had nighttime scenes on the set, starting from 8:30 PM. Since the TV series had just wrapped up, the agent hadn’t had the chance to turn off the alarm.
And the sound of the alarm seemed to remind Maria of something, and a vexed expression appeared on her face. “Lilian, can you take me to Central Hospital first?”
“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” The agent asked with concern upon hearing this.
Maria shook her head and said softly, “I promised Kim that I would pick him up today, but…” Her voice trailed off, and her tone became somber. “Just take me there first.”
The agent agreed and immediately changed direction, heading towards Central Hospital.
However, what the agent didn’t expect was that she thought the paparazzi would only be lurking outside the company or the residential area, but now there were quite a few people even outside Central Hospital.
Caught off guard, Maria was surrounded by a group of people as soon as she got out of the car.
It seemed like they were waiting for her, as the reporters bombarded her with all sorts of questions. The agent was taken aback by this situation and had initially wanted to intervene, but the crowd was too large. The agent was even pushed aside, while Maria, on the other hand, was engulfed in the center.
“Maria, can you answer the questions from the previous press conference directly now?”
“Maria, did your boyfriend know about what you did before?”
“And what about the deliberate absenteeism incident? Can you provide more details?”
The noisy voices overwhelmed Maria, and her expression immediately became distressed. She shook her head, feeling at a loss.
The microphone was already touching her neck, like a knife that would cut her throat in the next second.
But at that moment, someone grabbed Maria’s wrist and pulled her into a gentle embrace.
Maria looked up, and it was Kim. However, he didn’t say anything and simply led her back to the car, gesturing for the agent to drive immediately.
The agent was also startled by the scene and inwardly cursed the reporters for being too much.
“Are you hurt?” The agent looked at Kim and Maria in the back seat, unable to help but feel worried.
Kim nodded and then reached out to gently stroke Maria’s hair. Maria didn’t say anything, she just held onto Kim’s waist, lost in thought.
Soon, the agent brought Maria and Kim back to their place of residence.
Even after returning home, Maria didn’t let go of Kim’s hand and continued to cling to him, acting spoiled.
Kim led her to the sofa, but he couldn’t help but furrow his brow. He had performed three consecutive surgeries this afternoon, and he felt exhausted. As soon as he left the operating room, he heard about Maria’s situation.
He had originally planned to go find her, but who would have thought that she would already be surrounded by paparazzi at the hospital entrance?
“Kim,” Maria softly called his name.
Kim responded, and when he lowered his head, he noticed that Maria was looking at him intently.
Kim’s fingertips gently caressed her eyebrows and eyes, his gaze full of tenderness.
Such tenderness made Maria’s eyes well up with tears silently. Leaning forward, she fell into Kim’s embrace.
“I’m sorry… for causing you such trouble.” Maria almost instinctively apologized now.
But Kim cupped her face and wiped away the tears with his thumb.
“You don’t need to apologize to me,” Kim said earnestly. Moreover, it was Maria who needed protection now.
Maria’s body trembled lightly, her cheek pressed against Kim’s palm. “Kim, I want to quit the entertainment industry.”
Kim, who had been calm all along, finally showed surprise on his face. He hadn’t expected Maria to say something like this.
“I feel like I’m not suitable for this industry,” Maria even had a tendency to indulge in self-pity as she continued in Kim’s embrace.
“Why do you feel that way?” Kim asked, opening the conversation. “Is it just because of what happened today?”
Maria paused for a moment and then spoke slowly, “Perhaps I shouldn’t have entered this industry in the first place.”
Just then, Kim reached out and cupped Maria’s face. “Maria, do you remember what you said to me before?”